In a solemn demonstration of solidarity, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez led senior government officials in signing the Condolence Book at the Venezuelan Embassy in Havana on Tuesday, honoring those who perished defending Venezuela’s sovereignty. The ceremony, which began on January 9th, has drawn numerous Cuban authorities, diplomats, and citizens paying respects to the fallen.
President Díaz-Canel’s inscription captured the revolutionary spirit that binds the two nations: ‘Honor and glory to our heroes. Fatherland or Death! We shall overcome! Always onward to victory!’ His message expressed profound grief and outrage over what he described as ‘the vile and criminal attack on sister Venezuela’ resulting in the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro Moros and First Lady Cilia Flores.
The Cuban leader delivered a revolutionary eulogy, extending ‘genuine and heartfelt condolences’ to both Venezuelan citizens and the 32 Cuban combatants who sacrificed their lives. He framed their sacrifice as a defense not only of Venezuela but of Cuba and the broader Latin American-Caribbean region.
Díaz-Canel explicitly invoked the legacy of foundational figures, declaring renewed loyalty ‘to the legacy of our heroes, Fidel and Chávez’ in confronting ‘threats from the Yankee empire.’ The ceremony featured unanimous expressions of fraternity from Cuba’s highest leadership, including National Assembly President Esteban Lazo Hernández, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.
The event underscored the deep institutional ties between the two nations, with attendance from Emilio Lozada García of the Central Committee’s International Relations Department and Venezuelan Ambassador to Cuba Orlando Maneiro Gaspar.